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Phantom Gourmet: Tapestry In Boston, 2 Restaurants In 1

BOSTON – Two world class chefs, two very different dining experiences all under one roof. Located just off Boylston Street near Fenway Park, Tapestry is the creation of Meghann Ward and Kevin Walsh, a couple who met while working for some of the best chefs in Boston. With that much culinary talent in the kitchen, it was hard to pick one concept, so they decided to divide the massive space into two dining destinations with very different venues.

“Tapestry is really two restaurants in one. We have the Expo Kitchen, which is a Neapolitan pizzeria with fun bar snacks, beer on tap, and board games,” Meghann explained.

“Then if you want to experience our full dinner menu, there’s a very luxurious lounge. It is really inspired by mid-century Havana. There’s a lot of velvet banquettes. There is a beautiful Cuban tile, gorgeous four-sided fireplace and palm trees. It’s really like going on vacation for the evening.”

You will usually find Kevin manning the 900 degree wood burning oven in Tapestry’s Expo Kitchen.

Neapolitan pizza at Tapestry (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

“He loves cooking Neapolitan pizza. His dream has always been to have a place that does have a wood oven. Tapestry is super fortunate because it’s a standalone building so the city will allow it,” Meghann said. “Normally takes about 90 seconds. We really like a blistered, crispy, very light crust. It has chew. It has crispiness and it blisters beautifully.”

“We just try and get funky with the toppings. Of course we have a margherita, but we also have salsiccia pizza right now that has chicken sausage and braised escarole with little bagna cauda drizzled on top. We definitely think outside the box when it comes to toppings, but all of them are cooked in this style of quick, hot, blistered, crispy but chewy crust.”

Breakfast pizza at Tapestry (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

They really get outside of the box at brunch, especially with their breakfast pizza, that eats more like a bagel.

“We have a crust that is really reminiscent of eating an everything bagel. There’s sesame seeds, poppy seeds, fried garlic, scallions. Everything you can think of when you bite into an everything bagel,” Meghann listed. “Then we top it off with quark. Then we have some gravlax, and then we just sprinkle it with capers. It definitely taste like bagels and lox.”

Other Expo Kitchen dishes include Wood Oven Roasted Meatballs garnished with Sicilian olives, or an adult version of Chicken Nuggets that has created quite the stir.

If you are a wing fan, you are going to need to try Tapestry’s turkey wing, spiked with south east Asian flavors and prepared in the style of Peking duck.

Turkey Wing at Tapestry (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

“It’s really sweet, sour, spicy on the outside, and crunchy. Then when you bite into it, it’s softer because it’s confited.”

There are sandwiches like the braised short rib panini stuffed with housemade sauerkraut and provolone, and pressed until golden brown; and soups like the French onion that comes with taleggio stuffed focaccia for dipping.

When it came to the burger, Kevin’s preference of patty won a spot on the menu.

Cheeseburger at Tapestry (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

“I personally like to eat into a huge burger the size of my head,” Meghann said, “but he likes to have a thinner burger. It’s a potato roll with a thin patty. Then we have this onion jam, cheddar cheese, dill pickles and iceberg lettuce. It’s a perfect burger.”

If you are out for a night where you want something more than burgers and nuggets, you can opt for the Club Room, an area with all of the flavors of the Expo Kitchen, with a bit more style and sophistication. Nothing demonstrates that more than Tapestry’s elegant take on Chicken Pot Pie.

‘Chicken Pot Pie’ at Tapestry (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

“We get this beautiful kind of like chicken ragù that we stuff into a pastry shell. It looks like a cylinder and it has this beautiful chicken braise in it with turnips and white gravy,” Meghann described. “It tastes like real, true comfort food.”

Other Club Room creations include a Szechuan spiced Boullabaisse with an addictive broth; and Squash Stuffed Cappelletti that Meaghann makes by hand and serves in a brown butter sage sauce. They really get inventive during dessert, like their fine dining twist on PB&J. It uses housemade Wonder Bread flavored ice cream with Concord grape jam and peanut brittle.

Peanut Butter & Jelly dessert at Tapestry (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

Just like those two tastes taste great together, these two chefs work well together as they come up with creative new dishes constantly.

“The bottom line is you really want people to get excited about what you’re cooking,” Meghann said. “Having an idea, and wanting to make something, and wanting people to get excited about what I cook is the only reason why I show up to work.”